There has been a lot of discussion in the press about sexual abuse by venture capitalists. As frequent readers of this blog will know, I am not very positive about the venture capital industry which really means I am not very positive about venture capitalists (with some important exceptions). Since I was one of the … Continue reading
Category Archives: about business
The Future History of Technology
The book I am probably not going to write From time to time, I think about writing a book on the evolution of information technology. I am designing it in my head. Sometimes it is divided into three sections, which are simply the past, present and future. Frankly, I am not that interested in the … Continue reading
Explaining Trump’s Taxes
Mr. Trump, please release your returns. I have so much to learn I really wish he would release his tax returns. I learned a number of tricks from Romney’s returns that has saved me money. I am sure I would find additional methods from Trump’s. I am pretty sure he pays no taxes and … Continue reading
Amazon / Apple / Avram's Past / Google
Finally I am being listened to: got an Amazon Echo
I just got an Amazon Echo. It is both amazing and frustrating experience. The amazing part is how quick response when it actually knows the answer. It is like talking to a person. The frustrating part is that it doesn’t know the answer to many questions. Unexpected Device I think up until now, all … Continue reading
Intel: How a vein of gold turns into a big hole
Selling Silicon By the Ton When I joined Intel in 1984, it was primarily a semiconductor memory chip company. I use to joke that it sold silicon by the ton, but that was true. Then, the memory business was under attack by the Japanese because it was a commodity, and the Japanese were just … Continue reading
Do VC’s Add Value in Addition to Money
Not a Fan of Venture Capitalist While I am a fan of venture capital, I don’t think much of Venture Capitalists. This may sound strange from the person that was a co-founder of what was one of the largest and most successful venture capital organizations – Intel Capital. I never thought of myself as a … Continue reading
The Andy Grove I knew
Yesterday, Andy Grove died. Frankly, I am still processing that. I first met Andy in 1982 at the PC Forum. Andy was 46 and I was 37. The next time I met him was in 1984 when I was interviewing for a position at Intel. I would be reporting to Les Vadasz, who, like Andy, … Continue reading
Intel starts to be irrelevant?
My buddy, Robert X. Cringely predicts that Intel will start to be irrelevant. I predicted that in 1999 when I walked out of the door in 1999. It started a few years earlier when Andy Grove stepped aside as CEO and appointed Craig Barrett CEO. I didn’t think that Barrett had a strategic bone in … Continue reading
QSBS Permanent: The end of year madness is no more.
I am always surprised that many sophisticated investors do not know about QSBS. Since 2009, there has been a 100% exclusion of all capital gains on the first $10 million of gain or 10 times the investment up to $50 million dollars, whatever is larger. This was put in to stimulate investments in early stage/small … Continue reading
The Apple Watch, the most anticipated ho-hum product ever launched
I promised a number of you that I would give my impressions of the Apple Watch. Frankly, I don’t have a lot to say, which in some strange way, is saying a lot. I have numbered the various capabilities on a scale from 1-10, but bottom line, unless you have an extra $500 or so … Continue reading
Two Thirds Done 